Concentration of minerals from ores.



i l i UNITED STATES Patented. December 13, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR EDWARD CATTERMOLE, HENRY LIVINGSTONE SULMAN, AND

HUGH FITZALIS KIRKPATRIUK-IPIOARD, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

CONCENTRATION OF MINEHAL$ FROM OFIES.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 77'7,2'?4=, dated December 13, 1904:.

Application filed March 29, 1904. Serial No. 200,650. (No specimens.)

To all whom/ it may concern:

Be it known that we, ARTHUR EDWARD CAT- TERMOLE, HENRY LIvrNes'roNn SULMAN, and HUc-I-r FI'IZALIS KIRKPATRIGK-PIOARD, subjects of the King of England, residing at London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Concentration of Minerals from Ores, of which the following is 'a specification.

Our process has for its object the separation of minerals from the silicious or earthy matters of ores by means of soaps or similar compounds, and is dependent upon the superior physical attraction exhibited by minerals for fatty or resin acids or for certain other aromatic derivatives (such as cresols, phenols, &c.) which form soluble salts or compounds with alkaline hydrates as compared with earthy or silicious substances.

The process described in this application relates to a process somewhat similar to the process described and claimed in a copending application filed by us of even date with this application and serially numbered 200,649.

In general the soluble compounds we employ are typified by ordinary soaps, from which the fatty or resin acids are liberated by the addition of a suitable mineral acid and. which fatty or resin acids are again rendered completely soluble by the addition of an equivalent of caustic alkali.

In carrying out our invention the suitablycrushed ore is suspended in water, and. to the mixture an addition of a small quantity of soap solution is made' A small amount of mineral acid is then added, which decomposes the soluble soap or other similar compound by uniting with the alkaline base thereof, thus liberating in a state of chemical subdivision the fatty or resin acid or other compound, such as cresol, &c., in intimate contact with the suspended ore particles. It is found that the liberated acids, 850., which may even be solid under ordinary conditions, are precipitated and adhere to the sulfureted minerals or to sulfur, graphite, or free metals present in the ore, leaving the gangue or earthy particles preferentially wet by water and free from adhesions of fatty acid and the like. The fatty acid and the like used for the purpose of adhering to the mineral particles is thus produced in swim throughout the suspended ore mass in the most intimate contact or admixture therewith, and the mineral particles become attached to or more or less coated by films of fatty or resin acid. The mixture containing water, fatty or resin acid, metalliferous particles, and gangue is now thoroughly agitated, and the coated metalliferous particles adhere together and form granules or small agglomerate masses, which partly by reason of gravity and partly on account of their bulk, as compared with the individual grains of gangue, may be readilyseparated in upcurrents otheusuitable classification appa-r-atu This process may conveniently be rend ei cc continuous by feeding ore-pulp, soap solution, and mineral acid continuously into one or more agitating vessels and discharging the products of agitation into an up-current separator, which allows the metalliferous granules to fall to the bottom of the vessel, while the particles of gangue are carried away by an upward stream.

The ap niratus employed may be of the type described in Cattermoles United States Patent No. 763,260.

After separation of the coated mineral particles the recovered mineral concentrate is subjected to the action of a suitable amount of caustic or carbonated alkali, whereby the fatty or resin acid, 8.10. recombines completely with the alkali, forming a readily-soluble soap or alkaline compound. After draining this off and washing with water, if necessary, the mineral particles are left clean and free from soap. The resulting solution thus contains all the soap or equivalent compound originally used in a state ready for immediate employment in the separation of mineral from fresh quantities of ore, and the process becomes completely cyclic with regard to the soap employed.

Throughout the operation the same soap or similar compound is used, the constituent whereof may be quite solid under ordinary conditions, the only additions required being small quantities of mineral acid and alkali for the decomposition and recomposition of this agent during the cycle of operations.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The herein-described process of concentrating ores which consists in mixing the orepulp with a soap solution and a mineral acid so as to liberate from the soap the organic acid which coats the desired mineral particles but not the gangue, agitating the mixture so as to agglomerate the coated mineral particles into granules and separating the granules from the non-coated gangue.

2. The herein-described process of concentrating ores which consists in mixing the orenames to this specification in the presence of 5.

two subscribing witnesses.

ARTHUR EDWARD CATTERMOLE. HENRY LIVINGSTONE SULMAN. HUGH FITZALIS KIRKPATRICK-PICARD. WVitnesses:

FREDERICK READ, F. B. Buss. 

